Dynamic digital document fields behavior

• US 8,972,844 B2
• Filed: 10/28/2011
• Issued: 03/03/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 10/28/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Marum, Matthew G., Padgett, Samuel, Speicher, Steven K., Tabb, Michael J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Debrow, James J
• Application Number:
  US13/284,619
• Publication Number:
  US 20130111322A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,222 Days
• Field of Search: 715/223
• US Class Current: 715/223
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/174 Form filling; Merging

Abstract

A field attraction module attracts/detracts interaction to/from particular fields of a digital document. The module detects interaction in the digital document corresponding to a plurality of fields of the digital document is detected. The module determines field attraction weights associated with the plurality of fields. The field attraction weights represent a degree to which presentation of the digital document is modified for selectively attracting interaction to at least one of the plurality of fields. The module determines that a first of the plurality of fields is associated with a greatest of the field attraction weights. The module modifies presentation of the digital document to attract interaction to the first field in the digital document in accordance with the greatest of the field attraction weights.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

detecting, in a digital document, interaction corresponding to a plurality of fields of the digital document;

determining field attraction weights associated with the plurality of fields, wherein the field attraction weights represent a degree to which presentation of the digital document is modified for selectively attracting interaction to at least one of the plurality of fields, wherein the field attraction weights are determined, based at least in part, on a plurality of zones associated with the at least one of the plurality of fields;

determining that a first field of the plurality of fields is associated with a greatest of the field attraction weights; and

modifying presentation of graphical attributes associated with the first field in the digital document to attract interaction to the first field in the digital document in accordance with the greatest of the field attraction weights, wherein graphical attributes associated with one or more fields in the plurality of fields other than the first field are unmodified.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said modifying presentation of the digital document to attract interaction to the first field in the digital document in accordance with the greatest of the field attraction weights comprises one of:

presenting the first field differently than initially presented in the digital document and differently than the others of the plurality of fields; and

manipulating user interaction with the digital document to attract interaction to the first field.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving input for the first field; and

in response to receiving the input for the first field, returning the graphical attributes associated with the first field to an unmodified state.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

determining that a second field of the plurality of fields is associated with a second field attraction weight of the field attraction weights that is non-zero; and

modifying presentation of the digital document to attract interaction to the second field in accordance with the second field attraction weight, wherein presentation of the digital document to attract interaction with the second field in accordance with the second field attraction weight attracts interaction to the second field to a lesser degree than the first field and to a greater degree than others of the plurality of fields.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the digital document is presented with one of a web browser, a word processing application, a spreadsheet application, and a portable document presentation application.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein said detecting interaction corresponding to the plurality of fields of the digital document comprises one of:

detecting user activity proximate to the plurality of fields; and

detecting field focus on one of the plurality of fields.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the field attraction weights are provided as one or more of metadata within the digital document or a field attraction configuration associated with the digital document.

8. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

accessing at least one of heuristics and usage history corresponding to the digital document,

wherein said determining the field attraction weights associated with the plurality of fields comprises adjusting one or more specified field attraction weights to generate the field attraction weights.

9. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

determining a presentation mode currently associated with the digital document, the presentation mode comprising one or more of a read mode, an edit mode or a secure mode;

wherein said determining the field attraction weights associated with the plurality of fields comprises selecting from a plurality of predefined field attraction weights based, at least in part, on the presentation mode.

10. A computer program product for dynamic digital document fields behavior, the computer program product comprising:

a computer readable storage medium having computer usable program code embodied therewith, the computer usable program code comprising a computer usable program code configured to;

detect, in a digital document, interaction corresponding to a plurality of fields of the digital document;

determine field attraction weights associated with the plurality of fields, wherein the field attraction weights represent a degree to which presentation of the digital document is modified for selectively attracting interaction to at least one of the plurality of fields, wherein the field attraction weights are determined, based at least in part, on a plurality of zones associated with the at least one of the plurality of fields;

determine that a first field of the plurality of fields is associated with a greatest of the field attraction weights; and

modify presentation of the digital document to attract interaction to the first field in the digital document in accordance with the greatest of the field attraction weights.

11. The computer program product of claim 10, wherein the computer usable program code configured to modify presentation of the digital document to attract interaction to the first field in the digital document in accordance with the greatest of the field attraction weights comprises the computer usable program code configured to one of:

present the first field differently than initially presented in the digital document and differently than others of the plurality of fields; and

manipulate user interaction with the digital document to attract interaction to the first field.

12. The computer program product of claim 10, wherein the computer usable program code configured to modify presentation of the digital document to attract interaction to the first field comprises the computer usable program code configured to at least one of decrease speed of a graphical user interface selection element if moved away from the first field and increase speed of the graphical user interface selection element if moved towards the first field, change focus or selection from a second of the plurality of fields to the first field, and move input from a second of the plurality of the fields to the first field.

13. The computer program product of claim 10, wherein the computer usable program code is further configured to:

determine that a second field of the plurality of fields is associated with a second field attraction weight of the field attraction weights that is non-zero; and

modify presentation of the digital document to attract interaction to the second field in accordance with the second field attraction weight, wherein presentation of the digital document to attract interaction with the second field in accordance with the second field attraction weight attracts interaction to the second field to a lesser degree than the first field and to a greater degree than others of the plurality of fields.

14. The computer program product of claim 10, wherein the digital document is presented with one of a web browser, a word processing application, a spreadsheet application, and a portable document presentation application.

15. The computer program product of claim 10, wherein the computer usable program code configured to detect interaction corresponding to the plurality of fields of the digital document comprises the computer usable program code configured to one of:

detect user activity proximate to the plurality of fields; and

detect field focus on one of the plurality of fields.

16. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein the computer usable program code configured to detect user activity proximate to the plurality of fields comprises the computer usable program code configured to detect user activity within a boundary of at least one of the plurality of fields.

17. The computer program product of claim 10, wherein the computer usable program code is further configured to:

access at least one of heuristics and usage history corresponding to the digital document,

wherein the computer usable program code configured to determine the field attraction weights associated with the plurality of fields comprises the computer usable program code configured to adjust one or more specified field attraction weights to generate the field attraction weights.

18. The computer program product of claim 10, wherein the computer usable program code is further configured to:

determine a user role currently associated with the digital document,

wherein the computer usable program code configured to determine the field attraction weights associated with the plurality of fields comprises the computer usable program code configured to select from a plurality of predefined field attraction weights based, at least in part, on the user role.

19. An apparatus comprising:

a processor unit;

a computer readable storage medium coupled with the processor unit; and

a field attraction module operable to,

detect, in a digital document, interaction corresponding to a plurality of fields of the digital document;

determine field attraction weights associated with the plurality of fields, wherein the field attraction weights represent a degree to which presentation of the digital document is modified for selectively attracting interaction to at least one of the plurality of fields, wherein the field attraction weights are determined, based at least in part, on a plurality of zones associated with the at least one of the plurality of fields;

determine that a first field of the plurality of fields is associated with a greatest of the field attraction weights; and

modify presentation of the digital document to attract interaction to the first field in the digital document in accordance with the greatest of the field attraction weights.

20. The apparatus of claim 19 wherein a field has at least two zones associated with the field, and wherein a field attraction weight for a zone of the at least two zones is based at least in part, on a proximity of the zone to the field associated with the zone.